Service vehicles have many applications in today's workplace. These multi-use tractors can perform among other tasks, heavy outdoor construction work, as well as mowing and lawn care work around homes, storage buildings and manufacturing plants. Traditionally such service vehicles have been designed such that the operator can face in only one direction. Such a design offers inherent disadvantages when the vehicle needs to be reversed and moved in a direction opposite to the forward facing cab.
Inherently, the field of vision of the operator may be partially obstructed when looking in a reverse direction over the shoulder. This makes safe operation of the vehicle difficult. In addition, the operator is placed in an uncomfortable position, and having to repeat the procedure over a long period of time can become very tiring. It also may create temporary confusion for the operator when trying to instantaneously remember which direction to turn the steering mechanism while looking in the opposite direction from what is customary. When the vehicle is operating in tight quarters, the slightest incorrect movement could cause substantial damage to the vehicle and surrounding objects and personal injury to people in close proximity.
To explain further, these vehicles are designed to accomplish multiple tasks. Separate attachments are needed for each of the specific tasks. Such attachments may be connected in front of the forward facing cab while others may be connected in the rear of the vehicle. A good example is a loader bucket attached to the front and a back hoe unit on the rear. While grading and loading dirt or other material, the operator should be facing forward with the controls providing the proper steering and motion response. When the back hoe is needed to dig a trench or the like, it is best for the console to be switched so that the same orientation of controls and direction is obtained.
Recently, some service vehicles have recognized this advantage and have been designed so that the operator console within the cab is rotated from its conventional forward facing position to a rearward facing position (180.degree. opposite position). The steering wheel and controls of the vehicle are also reversed to enable them to be operated, and thus control the vehicle, in the same way regardless of which direction the operator is facing.
While this idea has resulted in the obvious advantages to the operation of such vehicles, the designs implementing the rotation of the console have not been without their drawbacks. Many designs have a confusing configuration and complicated control linkages including electrical/hydraulic parts which are generally unreliable. The complicated nature of the designs also reduces the speed in which the operator console may be rotated from a forward facing position to a rearward facing position and vice versa.
It is preferable to have a bidirectional service vehicle in which the controls may be operated in the same manner to control the proper moving direction of the vehicle regardless of its working configuration. It is also preferable to accomplish this result quickly and efficiently with simple mechanical linkage to thus eliminate failure-prone components. These concerns must be addressed while not adversely affecting the ability of the vehicle to perform its assigned tasks.